Thursday, February 14, 2013

Copper Pieces with Fern and Grass Textures


These are a couple of sample pairs of earrings I recently made.  I wanted to use the same process of roller milling smaller pieces of fern, leaves and some thin grass on to copper.  The copper was about 20 gauge to start and I think I will try 18 gauge next time.  The tighter or closer the rollers of the mill, the more the metal will flatten out.  I could have gotten the impressions a little deeper into the metal with more pressure.  These have been sanded and there is still plenty of detail from organic material.

I also used the easy and more natural process of adding patina with a hard boiled egg.  When I work on these pieces away from the studio, that is what I use.  The accent or patina color is a darker copper to a dark brown.  It's subtle and has a nice mellow look to it.  Liver of sulfur will produce a much darker to black patina.  I have sanded off the patina and you will see some shine and some darker colored areas.

I will be making more earrings like this in sterling and would like to add some amethyst beads and maybe some labradorite.  Those seem to be my favorites at the moment.

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About Me

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I enjoy silversmithing, making jewelry, beads and working with paracord. I sculpt in polymer clay and desert themes are my favorite. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate the beauty of nature into my work. My work has been published in a large book called "1000 Beads," Lark Jewelry and Beading, 2014. I have sold beads through the Glendale Bead Museum Shop, a gallery in Tucson and www.wearartbyjulie.etsy.com. I'm an artist currently showing my jewelry at the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix, AZ.